In this blog, we'll talk about a safe and dependable way to break PST files into smaller pieces. A lot of Outlook users are having the same problem and are looking for ways to make the PST file smaller. We need to break the PST file into smaller pieces so we can repair this. Let's start with PST files.

Outlook uses PST files to store mail data like messages, contacts, calendars, notes, tasks, and more. There are two kinds of PST files: ANSI and Unicode. Outlook 2003 and later versions support the Unicode PST, which can hold 50 GB of data. Older versions of Outlook support the ANSI PST, which can only hold 2 GB of data. Let's first talk about why it's important to break PST up into smaller pieces.

Why you should break up the PST files into smaller parts:

There are several reasons to split the PST file into smaller parts. Here are a few:

• Outlook can be slow if you have a large PST file. The best way to address this is to divide up the PST file.
• It's challenging to handle PST files that are too big; it might be quite hard to find data in large PST files.
• When PST files are too big, they are more likely to get corrupted. The best way to fix this is to split them up.
• When a PST file's storage limit is reached, users can't send or receive fresh mail.

How to Divide a Large Outlook PST File Manually

Microsoft Outlook doesn't have any built-in ways to split big PST files, but there are still several strategies you can use to do it.

Using Outlook's "Move to folder" capability to break apart a PST file

We can utilize the Move to Folder tool in Microsoft Outlook to move the objects in the PST file to other folders.

• First, start Outlook on your computer.
• Click the File tab, then the Account settings drop-down, and then the Account settings.
• Select the Data file option, then click the Add button to add the new PST files.
• Now, open the big PST files and choose the emails you wish to move to the new PST file.
• After that, click the Move icon in the home section and choose Copy to Folder.
• After that, pick a folder for the new PST files and click the OK button to move the mail items.
• Now that you're done, you need to delete the mail items that you relocated from the original PST to make it smaller.

Breaking the PST file into smaller pieces with the Import/Export option in Outlook.

You can use Microsoft Outlook's Import/Export tools to split PST files. To finish the job, all I had to do was follow a few basic procedures.

• To open Outlook, click on it.
• Then, look for the File tab and click on the Open & Export item.
• Then, click on the Import/Export button.
• Choose Export to a File in the Import/Export section, then click the Next button.
• Next, please select the Outlook Data File (.pst) option.
• Now, pick the folder from the old PST files that you want to move to the new PST.
• Then, look through the folders and pick the one where you want to save the Output PST.
• To split the PST file into smaller parts, click the Finish option.

Do these procedures over and over until you've separated all the big PST files.

Using the Outlook Archive tool to break up the PST files.

There is an option in Microsoft Outlook called Archive. We are going to use this functionality to split the PST file into smaller parts. It only takes a few simple steps. Let's talk about all of them.

• First, open Outlook and go to the File choices in the wizard. Then, delete the old entries.
• Now, click the Archive option and pick the folder you want to save.
• Next, pick the time period for archiving items from the PST file.
• Next, click the Browse option to choose the folder where you wish to save the archived PST files.
• Then, type a name for the PST file you want to save and click OK.

Disadvantages of Manual Methods for Reducing PST File Size.

• It's hard to understand the manual approach, and it takes a long time to perform the task.
• There is a very high probability that data will be lost.
• The process needed someone with technical knowledge to accomplish it.
• Users could misplace the integrity of the data in the file that is created.

Using an Automatic Solution to Divide a Large PST File into Multiple Smaller Files

Want to quickly and safely split PST files? You could utilize the GainTools Split PST Tool if you want to. It is the best PST divider since it can quickly separate PST files without Outlook, saving users time and energy. The tool has a lot of features and settings, so novice users shouldn't have any trouble using it. Users can't lose any data during the procedure because it maintains the data integrity as it is.

Use this software to split a PST file.

• Download & Install the GainTools Split PST Tool.
• Start the application on your system.
• Click "Add PST," and then look for the huge PST file you wish to upload.
• Choose the Split Option that works best for you: by Size, Year (Date Range), or Folder.
• To save the output files, select "Browse" to set the destination path.
• To start the process, click “Split Now.”

Check the Output Files in the chosen location. You will see that numerous smaller PSTs have been made with the same folder structure and data.

Last Words:

This blog has talked about how to divide PST files into smaller ones. First, we'll talk about why PST files need to be divided, and then we'll learn how to do it manually. But manual methods take a lot of time and are not straightforward to use. GainTools Split PST Software is an automatic solution that can effortlessly split PST files without Outlook. It also offers a free trial edition for customers to test and analyze the application. With it, customers can split a few items per file for free.